Health officials have launched a renewed public awareness push across Fiji, reminding communities that Tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious but preventable and curable disease and urging people to come forward for free testing and treatment. Officials from the TB department in Tamavua said the campaign seeks to correct misconceptions, encourage early diagnosis and ensure patients complete the full course of treatment to prevent drug-resistant strains.
TB is an airborne lung infection transmitted when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Health authorities stressed it is not spread by sharing food, kava, or by casual touch. The department listed key symptoms that should prompt medical attention: a cough lasting more than two weeks, night sweats, fever, unexplained weight loss and persistent tiredness. Anyone experiencing these signs, or who has been in contact with a person diagnosed with TB, is urged to visit their nearest health centre.
Testing and treatment for TB are available free of charge at all health facilities in Fiji, Tamavua officials confirmed. Standard treatment involves taking multiple antibiotics for a full course that typically runs over six to eight months. Health workers strongly emphasised the importance of completing the entire regimen — stopping treatment early increases the risk that the bacteria become drug-resistant, which complicates and lengthens therapy.
Alongside treatment messages, officials reiterated simple prevention measures households and communities can adopt. These include improving ventilation by opening windows and doors, practicing proper cough etiquette such as covering the mouth when coughing or sneezing, and ensuring newborns receive the BCG vaccine at birth to help protect infants against severe forms of TB.
A central plank of the renewed campaign is tackling stigma. Tamavua health staff urged communities to support those undergoing treatment, noting that people on appropriate therapy quickly become non-infectious and can return to healthy lives. Officials said dispelling myths about contagiousness linked to casual contact is crucial to encouraging earlier care-seeking and adherence to treatment.
The reminder coincides with ongoing national efforts to reduce and ultimately eliminate TB in Fiji. By combining free access to diagnosis and medicines with community education on symptoms, prevention and the necessity of completing treatment, health authorities aim to lower transmission and prevent the emergence of harder-to-treat drug-resistant cases.
Anyone with symptoms consistent with TB, or who has been exposed to a TB patient, is encouraged to attend their local health centre for assessment. Health officials reiterated that early detection and a full course of treatment are the most effective tools to beat the disease and protect families and communities.
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